PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — A Brazilian model is suing Palm Desert Embassy Suites, a Hilton hotel, claiming she was "massacred" by bed bugs during a stay in one of their hotel rooms two years ago.

In a lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court, Sabrina Jales St. Pierre says a severe reaction to the bites affected her ability to model and caused her pain, discomfort and emotional distress.

Jales St. Pierre, who has modeled for brands including Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren, Valentino, Versace and Victoria’s Secret, is seeking monetary and punitive damages against the defendants, which include Hilton Worldwide Inc., Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc., and Embassy Suites Management LLC.

“Sabrina started noticing the bed bug bites after her first night in the hotel, and eventually she was massacred by bites covering pretty much her entire body,” said her attorney, Brian Virag, founder of My Bed Bug Lawyer Inc.

Virag said the model’s bites were among the worst he has seen in his eight years specializing in bed bug litigation.

In a lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court, Sabrina Jales St. Pierre says a severe reaction to the bites affected her ability to model and caused her pain, discomfort and emotional distress.(Photo11: Sabrina Jales St. Pierre)

"Like most victims of bed bugs, Sabrina also had nightmares about the experience, and she still experiences psychological trauma and fear of bed bugs today," Virag said. "This was especially traumatic for Sabrina because her body is her work, so this severely affected her work and her career. She had to continue working during the hotel stay, but the bite marks all over her body made her feel embarrassed, ashamed and humiliated.”

Carlos Mendoza, Embassy Suites in Palm Desert general manager, disputes the claims, saying there was never any evidence of a bed bug infestation.

Mendoza said the hotel’s chief engineer and house-keeping manager investigated the room for bed bugs the day the incident allegedly occurred. None were found The hotel then called an outside pest control company to perform a second inspection and also found no evidence of bed bugs.

But, he said, the hotel agreed to dry clean Jales St. Pierre’s clothes in a gesture of good hospitality.

“The comfort and health and safety of our guests is most important,” Mendoza said. “Our experience with bed bugs though is that people travel with them and bring them to hotels. Once they are in our rooms, we take corrective actions.”

Mendoza said when hotel officials heard about the model's allegations two years ago they were very concerned and they investigated the allegations thoroughly.

In a lawsuit filed in Riverside County Superior Court, Sabrina Jales St. Pierre says a severe reaction to the bites affected her ability to model and caused her pain, discomfort and emotional distress.(Photo11: Sabrina Jales St. Pierre)

“We did all the proper protocols and found no evidence,” he said. “Now we have to go through the lawsuit to defend the reputation of the hotel.”

The lawsuit alleges that the hotel didn’t maintain proper pest control protocols, thus exposing their guests to bedbugs. Virag said hotels need to be proactive about pests, not reactive.

“This really is an epidemic problem with hotel rooms,” Virag said. “You have an expectation that you’re going to be safe at a hotel, so when bed bugs infiltrate that space, it’s like a betrayal of trust.”

Virag said Jales St. Pierre had to seek medical attention from the bites that lasted "for an extended period of time."

“I would say it definitely had an impact on her ability to do her job as a model,” Virag told the Desert Sun. “She still has trauma from the physical and emotional aspect of it to this day. Some people have permanent scarring from it, too.”

Virag had worked on lawsuits against Hilton hotels in the past. In October, he represented an Arkansas family that was exposed to bed bugs during a one-night stay at the Hilton Garden Inn in Rancho Cucamonga. He obtained a $546,000 jury verdict against that property.

Virag said he ventured into the bed bug business because he “wanted to give a voice to those who don’t have one ... because I really have a deep understanding of what people go through when exposed to bed bugs.”